Validation of the performance of the new “filtering air inlet” technology installed in the Athletes’ Village

CETIAT acted as an expert and independent laboratory to validate the performance and reliability of the product. A close and rich collaboration between the partners which will ultimately make it possible to put on the market a new product meeting the environmental and energy requirements of tomorrow.

SOLIDEO (Olympic and Paralympic Works Delivery Company) wanted to make the Athletes' Village a concentrate of innovations on all the challenges of tomorrow's housing: carbon and energy sobriety, water management, summer comfort and quality indoor air. For this, it selected the filtering air inlet developed in partnership by ALDES and TEQOYA. As with any new technology, before being deployed on a large-scale project such as the athletes' village, its performance and reliability had to be solidly validated. It was on this occasion that CETIAT intervened.

What is filtering air inlet?

Indoor air quality is based either on a ventilation principle by renewing the air coming from the outside or on air purification technology.

The filtering air inlet combines these 2 principles: it uses fresh air from the outside and purifies it when it enters the building by an e-filtration system combining the technology of ionization to an electrofiltration system: the ionized particles are thus captured in a cleanable filter.

Validating the performance of “e-filtration”: a key step in the innovation process

Ensuring the reality of the performance of the new technologies it integrates into its products is a key element for Aldes.

For Pierre Guitton, founder of TEQOYA: “When we contacted its R&D teams to submit our e-filtration prototype to them, the carrying out of independent tests by an expert body such as CETIAT was a requirement before they considered integrating it into their inputs. filtering air."

Furthermore, CETIAT is a laboratory approved for filtration tests according to the NF B 44-200 (2016) standard.

The TEQOYA prototype was designed according to a certain number of “standard” criteria, for which its performance was tested and the results obtained were satisfactory. To be integrated into the Aldes air intakes, it required a certain number of adaptations: in particular it had to be made more compact, while maintaining a high level of power and controlling the acoustics. This complex balance was found thanks to the expertise of CETIAT which made it possible to better understand the behavior of the electrostatic precipitator and in particular its sensitivity to flow.

A second test campaign was carried out within CETIAT which revealed different results. Close work between TEQOYA and CETIAT made it possible to make the innovation more reliable and fine-tuned.

For Alain Ginestet, air filtration study manager at CETIAT: “At CETIAT, we start by asking ourselves about all the parameters that can have an impact on the measurements. After several tests and a better understanding, we understood that the discrepancy was coming from the air flow. »

This collaboration allowed Aldes to know precisely the performance of the technology according to use and to validate its integration into its products thanks to the validation of performances by CETIAT.

In the future, this new filtering air inlet technology should find its place in a French market currently dominated by single-flow VMC.

In a context where concerns oscillate between indoor air quality and control of energy consumption, filtration of incoming air is a solution that has its place with a short circuit manufacturing process, such as those of TEQOYA, and control of the carbon footprint over the entire life cycle.

A rich and close collaboration

For Pierre Guitton, founder of TEQOYA: “We had already established a relationship of trust with CETIAT for several years, since the technical center was always there when we had questions to refine our understanding of our technology and advance it. We always share this desire for continuous improvement. In addition to CETIAT's technical expertise to make our product more reliable, one of its real added values ​​is the educational dimension and collaborative work with experts which results in a real transfer of skills which allows us to progress internally. »

For Alain Ginestet, air filtration study manager at CETIAT: “We work hand in hand with manufacturers to make their innovations more reliable, this is what we call partnership and which allows us to progress in our methods. »